The TCM Organ System - The Heart
We are back on the TCM Foundations series just in time for the month of love! We will be going over the TCM organ system and the Heart in this post.
When we refer to organs in TCM we refer to their energetic and spiritual properties while also acknowledging the physical nature of the organ at the same time. We go beyond the anatomical and physiological aspects of organs. We also see how they get affected by emotions, channel/meridian issues, and the environment we are in.
First things first!!! The way we discuss organs is VERY different from Western medical terminology. As mentioned earlier, our descriptions combine the essence, spiritual, emotional, and physical components.
We call the internal organs in TCM the Zang-Fu. This encompasses six zang, six fu, and the extra fu organs. Zang organs are the Heart, Lung, Spleen, Liver, Kidney, and Pericardium. The Fu organs are Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Urinary Bladder, and San Jiao (Triple Warmer/Triple Energizer). The extra fu organs are the brain, marrow, bones, vessels, gallbladder, and uterus.
What is the difference between a Zang and a Fu organ?
Zang organs have a physiological process to store essential substances such as vital essences (this is what you get from your parents), qi, blood, and body fluid. They also manufacture these essential substances. This is why when one organ is out of balance another may compensate which will throw your entire system out of balance.
Fu organs are hollow and designed to move food and fluids from one place to the other. When you think about the Fu organs I listed you understand their primary purpose is to contain food and/or water. In the case of the uterus, an extra-fu organ, the function is to house menstrual activities and nourish a developing baby.
Ancient Anatomy
During ancient times in Chinese medical history, the human body was observed inside and out. It was dissected, measured, weighed, and palpated to understand how it should function. This type of observation was not limited to the Chinese, and this happened all over the planet. When I was in TCM school we studied the history of medicine and found out various cultures and regions were doing similar practices. The practice of acupuncture was also adjacent to these findings. For whatever reason, the Chinese were able to bring their TCM system mainstream.
Two books, Miraculous Pivot and Classics on Medical Problems, provide evidence that gross anatomy was being observed in China before Christianity. The Zang-Fu theory is based on three principles:
Gross anatomy & physiology
Observation of how pathogens affect the human body
Using signs and symptoms to track patterns
Clinical practice
After thousands of years of observation and clinical practice you get to see definitive patterns of disease and learn how to treat them efficiently. Learning about the Zang-Fu is a foundational principle in how we treat every case. This is how we are able to do differential diagnosis and customize our medicine for each patient.
We also view each organ as being located internally with connections externally. This is where the meridians come in. Click here to see the newsletter on the meridian/channel system to fully understand this concept: https://open.substack.com/pub/jordanettersboyd/p/tcm-foundations-the-meridians?r=2rb1eg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
For example: two patients come in with a headache on the same day. I will go through my differential diagnosis to see where the headache is coming from. This is the process of finding the root cause. One patient will complain of a headache in the frontal area of the head whereas the other will say they have a headache on the very top or vertex area of the head. Will I give them the same treatment? NO…absolutely not.
Since I know they have a headache in different areas although they both have a headache I have to treat it differently because they come from different sources. The frontal headache signifies there is something going on in the Large Intestine channel and the vertex headache is telling me the source is somewhere in the Liver channel. To fully understand how I know all of this you will have to enroll yourself in a TCM school near you. However, I will continue to break this down for anyone who is interested in each newsletter I post on this subject.
This is why when someone tells me they have a headache and they are asking what they should take I answer with a question and ask them where it is located. I do not simply give them pain-relieving herbal medication but I figure out where it is coming from first. Once we move that issue out of the way they may not even need pain medication. I can typically resolve a headache in one treatment. If this patient continues to have headaches I will help them by resolving the underlying issues causing it.
Okay so we got off on a little tangent, but it was necessary to help you understand this whole process. Since you came here to read about the TCM Organs I’ll start with the Heart and we will continue next week.
The Heart (The Emperor - ruler of all organs)
If you can recall from earlier it is one of the five Zang organs. It is located in the thoracic (chest) area and connects with the Small Intestine through a channel/meridian.
Functions of the Heart:
Houses the mind
Dominates blood and vessels
Manifests on the face
Opens into the tongue
Affected by the emotions of joy and happiness and can also determine these as well
Controls sweating
Represents Fire in the Five Element Theory
The Heart Houses the Mind
The foundational aspect of our spirit and mental function is housed in the Heart. Sleep, consciousness, memory, and thinking are all functions attached to the Heart. Mental function is dependent on the condition of our Blood and the supply of blood which brings oxygen and nutrition.
When the Heart Qi is moving properly Blood follows it. Remember the TCM Basics post a few weeks ago? If not go back to it >>> click here. So if you recall, Qi leads the Blood that the Heart pumps and helps make the pulse strong and the face rosy and full of life. This is how the Heart manifests on the face. If the Heart Qi is weak (deficient) the face will be pale and the pulse weak and thready.
The Heart connects to the tongue by a meridian that branches into the tongue. Having strong Heart Qi allows people to speak properly and they can taste all the essence of their food. If there is a pathology with the Heart such as Heart heat the tip of the tongue will be red or even have bumps on it. If you don’t know by now each organ can be reflected on the tongue. Eventually, I’ll go into how we use the tongue to diagnose organ issues.
So here is a quick summary of the Heart organ from a Five-element perspective. Just for those that do not know the Five Elements are: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, & Wood. Each of the organs I’ll go over has a designated element they most closely resemble. In the case of the Heart, it is fire.
In the Five Element Theory, the Heart represents Fire. Its season is summer and it likes hot climates. It experiences the emotions of joy, happiness, and excitement. It connects to the tongue, face, and blood vessels. It likes the bitter flavor and the color red.
If the Heart experiences an imbalance you will notice these symptoms:
palpitations
chest pain
high blood pressure or low blood pressure
shortness of breath
low energy/fatigue
inability to tolerate heat
night sweats
insomnia
circulation issues
mental restlessness, depression, anxiety, or even mania
Whew! This was a lot to discuss. I’ll be back next time to discuss the Liver!!
References:
程莘农, & Deng, L. (2010). Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion. Wiley-Blackwell.
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